The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
After receiving my lovely copy of TFiOS, signed with a lovely blue J-scribble, I immediately sat down and read the whole thing, taking only a short shower/bathroom/snack break, halfway through.
From my experience, the best books I've ever read are the ones where I read them, previously knowing nothing at all about their contents, kind of like this book. Now I'm not spoiling anything in this review, I'm just saying that this book is extraordinary and you may want to read that before you read this. So go read The Fault in Our Stars first, then come back and read this. Maybe?
So. Summary. Hazel Lancaster, age sixteen has cancer. But through a medical miracle involving a Phalanxifor, she's still living. At her terrible cancer support group meetings she meets Augustus Waters, fellow cancer survivor, seventeen. (Spoiler alert: they sort of like each other maybe a little bit.)
Hazel is sixteen? I'm sixteen! Hazel has a friend named Isaac? I have a friend named Isaac! Hazel has a friend named Augustus? I have a friend named Augustus (not even lying). Hazel has short hair? I have short hair! I guess that's about where our similarities stop; although, there's something I admire about every single one of John Green's characters and that is that they are both outrageously smart and fantastically teenager-y (adolescent: hate that word).
Augustus Waters reminds me of Josh Sundquist. A lot. And wouldn't you know it, he's mentioned first thing in the Acknowledgements. Augustus Waters is so hot and such a full person, and that everything he says is metaphorical just adds to his greatness, and I should really stop fan-girling.
There are about a million different metaphors and ways to look at this book. It deals with such a wide variety of topics, and though it is a book about cancer it's also a book about love, the size of infinities, the way people treat others who are dying more obviously, what happens the the characters when the pages end, and how asinine certain ex-girlfriends and sequestered authors are.
The Fault in Our Stars complies with my theory that it is impossible to write about a swing set without metaphorical substance. Like Bunny bread and creamy peanut butter attract grape jelly, a swing set demands a metaphor.
It's a very serious book, with many funny bits. Very deep and poetic with some super-fun-vengeful parts. I must admit, I think TFiOS is my favorite John Green book of all. I think he gets better with each one.
☁☁☁☁☁ - 5/5
From my experience, the best books I've ever read are the ones where I read them, previously knowing nothing at all about their contents, kind of like this book. Now I'm not spoiling anything in this review, I'm just saying that this book is extraordinary and you may want to read that before you read this. So go read The Fault in Our Stars first, then come back and read this. Maybe?
So. Summary. Hazel Lancaster, age sixteen has cancer. But through a medical miracle involving a Phalanxifor, she's still living. At her terrible cancer support group meetings she meets Augustus Waters, fellow cancer survivor, seventeen. (Spoiler alert: they sort of like each other maybe a little bit.)
Hazel is sixteen? I'm sixteen! Hazel has a friend named Isaac? I have a friend named Isaac! Hazel has a friend named Augustus? I have a friend named Augustus (not even lying). Hazel has short hair? I have short hair! I guess that's about where our similarities stop; although, there's something I admire about every single one of John Green's characters and that is that they are both outrageously smart and fantastically teenager-y (adolescent: hate that word).
Augustus Waters reminds me of Josh Sundquist. A lot. And wouldn't you know it, he's mentioned first thing in the Acknowledgements. Augustus Waters is so hot and such a full person, and that everything he says is metaphorical just adds to his greatness, and I should really stop fan-girling.
There are about a million different metaphors and ways to look at this book. It deals with such a wide variety of topics, and though it is a book about cancer it's also a book about love, the size of infinities, the way people treat others who are dying more obviously, what happens the the characters when the pages end, and how asinine certain ex-girlfriends and sequestered authors are.
The Fault in Our Stars complies with my theory that it is impossible to write about a swing set without metaphorical substance. Like Bunny bread and creamy peanut butter attract grape jelly, a swing set demands a metaphor.
It's a very serious book, with many funny bits. Very deep and poetic with some super-fun-vengeful parts. I must admit, I think TFiOS is my favorite John Green book of all. I think he gets better with each one.
☁☁☁☁☁ - 5/5
As I read through this book, I found myself sincerely hoping that everyone involved in it got the happy ending they all, more or less, deserved. I would cry when bad things happened, and smile nervously when good things came to pass, fearing that John Green, cruel but admittedly wise author that he is, wouldn't just let my characters be. It seems he never does.
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